Jolly Rodger Release Nov. 2, 2013- Come Meet the Family

While Jolly Rodger’s been around a long time, it’s also got the largest identity crisis as it changes styles each year. It originated as an English-style barleywine, then was later a brown ale, an Imperial Red, and last year made it (almost) full-circle as an American Barleywine. Many years (and many people with some form of the name “Roger”) later, we’re going real dark with what will be an 11.5% Imperial American Black Ale (slash Black IPA slash Cascadian Dark Ale).

Also of note, this year, Jolly Rodger will be accompanied by some one-off cousins Abominably Jolly Imperial White IPA, andJ. Rodgerator Doppelbock.

Abominably Jolly will be the snowman to Jolly Rodger’s Dread Pirate- an Imperial White IPA. This Jolly juxtaposition will utilize an intense amount of wheat in the grist for a cloudy appearance, slight graininess, and light citric character that will pair well with the intense dosing of tropical New Zealand and American hops in the kettle and dry hop.

The J. Rodgerator, RELEASING BY EARLY DECEMBER, will be a bold, malt driven doppelbock- a style originating from the Paulaner monks of Munich seeking a beer big enough to stand in as “liquid bread” during their Lenten fast, and now serving you in CA as a warming, strong, malt accented lager to get you through the holidays. We thank you to note our own take on the traditional “-ator” suffix in the name. Eat your heart out, Salvator.

(Side note: it amuses us when you folks try to say “Denogginizer” after having drank a couple of them, and we thought these names would be just as fun.)

Jolly Rodger and Abominably Jolly come out on Saturday, November 2nd at the Drake’s Barrel House. Jolly Rodger will be on tap, on cask, and in bottles, and his shipmate, Abominably Jolly will be on draft and on cask. Info on bottle limits, growler fills, keg availability, etc will be available here as the date arises.

Jolly Rodger will also have a few friends of the human kind on hand, in the form of the East Bay’s own Shark Alley Hobos, who’ll be gracing us with lively sea shanties, and as always on Saturdays, you can expect some delicious nosh from local food trucks including our regular pals from Fivetenburger.